Spousonomics

2014-01-20

By: Libby Znaimer

It’s not a very romantic view of marriage. Especially so close to Valentine’s Day. But treating your marriage like a two person business may actually give it the best chance at long-term success. That’s the message behind Spousonomics, a new book by Wall Street Journal editor Paula Szuchman and New York Times reporter Jenny Anderson. Spousonomics uses case studies and exhaustive show how economic principles can help troubled marriages survive and healthy marriages thrive.

For instance, Incentives: The idea is that getting your spouse to finally pay the bills on time or take out the garbage is simply a matter of finding the right incentive.

And speaking of chores, when it comes to Division of Labor rather than going for a 50/50 split, try doing what you’re “relatively” good at and “trading” the rest.

The authors even see sex as a matter of supply and demand. If you metaphorically lower the cost of sex by not waiting until you’re exhausted, and by letting your partner know when you’re in the mood and what you want, demand will go up.